I came across this wonderful poem in The Sufi Book of Life by Neil Douglas-Klotz (p.56)
‘I’ and ‘you’ focus light
like decorative holes cut
in a lampshade.
But there is only One Light.
‘I’ and ‘you’ throw a
thin veil between
heaven and earth.
Lift the veil and all
creeds and theologies disappear.
When ‘I’ and ‘you’ vanish,
how can I tell whether I am
in a mosque, a synagogue,
a church, or an observatory.
Shabistari – Sufi poet
We think that the idea that truth is one and all religions are the same at their core – that as Ghandi said,”God has no religion”- as being modern but here we can see these ideas in this poem from the 13th/14th century.
In looking for more information I came upon the material listed below. It set me thinking along a theme that first took my interest long ago. So much wisdom that we desperately need is enshrined not just in the philosophy of the past but also in ancient poetry and other forms of literature.
A wealth of wisdom and sacred insight can be ‘sipped at’ the Poetry Chaikana
What is a Chaikhana?
A chaikhana is a teahouse along the legendary Silk Road pilgrimage and trading route linking China to the Middle East and Europe. It is a place of rest along the journey, a place to shake off the dust of the road, to sip tea, and to gather together to sing songs of the Divine..
So enjoy visiting the tea-house.
The complete text of Shabistari’s The Rose Garden is HERE
You can find out more about Shabistari starting with Wiki HERE
Another good place to start re Sufism and beautiful poetry is the UK Rumi organization HERE
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All postings to this site relate to the central model in the PhD.
Summaries are HERE